Bellefonte Council on Monday introduced the borough’s acting police chief and approved the hiring of two full-time officers following weeks of upheaval that depleted the police department’s staffing.
Council also formally accepted the resignations of longtime police chief Shawn Weaver and officers Matthew Pollock and Jason Brower. Weaver, who had led the department since 2006, stepped down earlier this month following the resignations of Pollock and Brower.
Reasons for the resignations have not been publicly disclosed. The Centre Daily Times reported that Brower faced potential termination before he resigned. An invoice from the borough’s special labor counsel included with the agenda for Monday’s council meeting showed numerous calls and emails regarding personnel matters, some of which referenced Brower, with Weaver and other borough officials in March, but did not provide further details.
Detective William Witmer, a 20-year law enforcement veteran and Bellefonte native, has been acting chief since April 2 and council formally designated the title to him on Monday.
“I support and have full confidence in Acting Police Chief Witmer’s abilities to oversee and lead our department,” Mayor Buddy Johnson said.
In his remarks to council, Witmer took a forward-looking approach.
“We believe that the borough of Bellefonte should maintain and will maintain a high level of police service. I’m going to ensure that we sustain that,” Witmer said. “I know the last couple of weeks, the last couple of months have been hard on us. We’ve done the best we can at this time. My message to the department from now on is we need to move forward, put it behind us and there’s only one way to go. It’s forward, and that’s what we’re going to do from this time on.”
The three recent departures and the retirement of officer Robert Igoe in January means the police department has lost four of its 10 full-time officers in the last four months.
To help close the gap, council approved hiring two full-time officers from the department’s eligibility list. On Witmer’s recommendation, the borough will extend offers to Andrew Hurd, who is currently a part-time officer in Bellefonte, and Penn State police officer Lisa Larkin.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to hire two new officers and allowing them to come on our force so they can experience Bellefonte Borough,” Witmer said. “This is a great community-oriented town. I personally am from here. I enjoy working here. And I’m just excited. Thank you again for the opportunity to lead this department in the right way.”
Council also authorized Borough Manager Ralph Stewart to begin the hiring process for a permanent chief of police.
Council members offered no discussion on any of the police-related actions before unanimously approving each.
